18: WGE MAG
WGE MAG: 19
Removing “Loading, please wait” definitely helps to build the player’s sense of immersion, and based on initial playtesting feedback, we hope to continue to apply this technique in several ways in the future.
Interview: Brant Nicholas
Bennox’s Executive Producer speaks to Antonio Ribeiro about their latest Spider-Man release
he game Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions was a huge success. What changes can we expect to see with the latest release, Edge of Time?
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Beenox wanted to create a fresh, new gameplay experience for the players. Our goal was to build a deep narrative experience between Amazing Spider-Man and Spider- Man 2099, who are the only two versions of Spider-Man that can share the same timeline within the Marvel universe. One of the best aspects of this project was the opportunity to work with Peter David, co-creator of Spider-Man 2099, in writing the script.
“It’s awesome to know that we’re delivering games that even our fans outside of North America can love!”
What is the story of Spiderman Edge of Time? The story is about an evil scientist from 2099 who goes back in the past in order to destroy Peter Parker and rewrite history. Miguel O’Hara, as Spider-Man 2099, witnesses this event, and has to work closely with Amazing Spider-Man in order to prevent his rapidly approaching death that will cause Miguel’s future to not exist.
Spider-Man: Edge of Time has a concept of no separation between the levels. Do you think you could have created a new idea for games in the future? Our goal from the beginning has been to immerse the player into the
story of Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099. To do this, Beenox created custom streaming technologies to constantly keep the game loading new content as the player advances. While streaming isn’t new as a games industry technology per-se, we hope that more and more games will move toward this direction in the future. While every game may have unique needs depending on the design, at Beenox, we definitely enjoy doing everything we can to create deep, seamless narrative experiences for our fans.
How long did the game take to create. From the very beginning to its publication?
Beenox came up with the concept of Spider-Man: Edge of Time while developing Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. After realizing how perfect the fit was for Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 to interact throughout the story, our team kicked the title into full gear and jumped right in! They were able to craft this experience and take it to completion this year!
Is Spider-Man: Edge of Time ready to be played with 3D technology? Spider-Man: Edge of Time will be released on Nintendo 3DS. Playing the game in 3D really makes you feel like you are Spider-Man. For example, when the two versions of Spider- Man talk to each other through time, each character has his own screen – each screen shows its own timeline. It really enhances the gameplay experience.
How many hours of gameplay can we expect in Edge of Time? The very nature of the concept and storyline is all about the urgency of the situation Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 are in to prevent the collapse of the world. So, as a result, the gameplay also moves at a very fast pace. How long the game will take to complete is really tied to how much of the content players hope to earn and unlock for their characters along the way!
Who wrote the story of the game? Does the entire team participates or the idea come ready and approved from Marvel?
As the main developer on upcoming Activision Spider-Man titles, the Beenox team is effectively the shepherd of the brand and takes that role very seriously. We came up with this new concept to Activision and Marvel and they quickly fell in love with the idea. Then, Beenox worked hand-in-hand with Marvel’s veteran writer, Peter David, co-creator of Spider-Man 2099, to craft a tightly-focused, thrilling, fast-paced adventure.
“Without a doubt, our successes at Beenox are directly the result of having an
awesome team of people that are passionate about everything we do!”
Beenox have built up a fine reputation in recent years. What has been the secret of your success? Without a doubt, our successes at Beenox are directly the result of having an awesome team of people that are passionate about everything we do! Not only that, but we get to spend our long Quebec winters reading comics of course. The Beenox management team really works hard to make sure that we’ve got an awesome environment to spend our days in, and that the team is constantly challenged to come up with more and more creative ideas every day!
What makes the Beenox team tick? Do your guys play a lot of games themselves? At Beenox, while we are all huge fans of video games, each individual has his own interests, strengths and knowledge. It’s the fusion of all that coming together that has built Beenox’s personality as a studio. It’s that combination that helps inspire us to constantly push for better games every time, offering our fans an experience they will take with them even after
they put down the controller.
Why is there no PSP version of the game? Spider-Man: Edge of Time is coming out for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, 3DS, and NDS. While there haven’t been any announcements about other platforms, the game will be able to reach a wide audience of people with the different versions of the game that will come out.
Are Marvel going to transform Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time into comics books in the near future? While we would love to see our fans’ enjoyment of the stories from Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time grow into full-blown comics on their own, it’s really up to Marvel to see where this fits in the larger Spider-Man universe. Our focus remains firmly on delivering the best games we possibly can!
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